


Midnight Phonecalls

by CastielFollowMe



Series: Single Dad Shiro Verse [47]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Anxiety, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Keith has very good friends, Panic Attacks, Sleepovers, Tears
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-10
Updated: 2017-02-10
Packaged: 2018-09-23 06:26:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9644354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CastielFollowMe/pseuds/CastielFollowMe
Summary: Keith is ready for his first sleepover away from home, but the night doesn't go how everyone had planned it to.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: "Ok hi I'm back bc I literally cannot get enough of single dad! Shiro and I actually have a HC (if you're still taking them) : the kids want to have a sleepover (they've had them before but always at Keith's house for various reasons) so they decide to do it at Pidge or Hunk's house (Lance's is still to overwhelming) and in the end they all some how end up back at Keith's (up for interpretation but I imagine Keith freaking out and the other kids not wanting him to be alone) that's all 

      “Did you pack my blanket?”

              “Yes Keith, it’s in the back zipper of your bag.”

              “And my toothbrush?”

              “Along with a hair brush and toothpaste.”

              “What about my pajamas? The fuzzy ones?”

              “I packed the _super extra_ fuzzy ones.”

              Keith nodded, finally accepting that his father hadn’t messed up and that he was ready to go. Pidge had invited everyone over for a sleepover in their little group. They and their family had just moved into a new house that was much bigger than their old house (Pidge claimed it was big enough to fit a _lion_ but Keith thought they were lying). Normally, sleepovers were conducted at Keith’s house with Shiro as a chaperone.

              Lance’s house was too crowded and didn’t really need three more kids added into the picture. Hun’s house was in the middle of being remodeled, which meant there was lots of dust lying around. And unfortunately, Shiro had taken the opportunity to have a night out with him and a few friends while Keith was away.

              Besides Keith was a whole eight-years-old now so a big kid.

              He could handle one night at a new house.

              Right?

              “Okay.” Shiro smiled down at his son, pushing aside any tiny ounce of nervousness he was feeling. Keith would be fine and he was _excited_ for tonight, so worrying would do no good. “You’re all packed. Are you ready to go?” Shiro asked once the car was parked. Keith swallowed, staring up at the _big_ house that was Pidge’s and nodded. He gripped the strap on his bag even tighter and Shiro resisted the urge to ruffle his son’s hair.

              “Don’t be nervous Keith.” Shiro laughed softly and Keith blinked. “You’re going to have a ton of fun tonight. Lance and Hunk will be there too, and I hear Matt’s a good kid.” Matt was Pidge’s older brother and he was already in middle school. He was the person in charge of the kids tonight while Pidge’s parents spent some time together (they would still be home).

              “Yeah. Right.” Keith nodded and his expression was completely serious that Shiro almost wished he had a camera. Sometimes he wished that Keith knew how to lighten up and be less serious, but that meant changing who Keith was and Keith was perfect.

              “Alright, how about we greet everyone? I’ll walk you to the door.” Keith immediately scrambled to open his door and he had just gotten out of the car by the time that Keith walked over to his door. Keith swallowed once more, eyeing the new house. He quickly snatched up his father’s hand, much to Shiro’s amusement, and stalked towards the door. Shiro allowed himself to be dragged by Keith and he gently knocked.

              The door opened, to reveal a much taller version of Pidge. Even the hair and eye colors were the same. However, the biggest difference was this guy had the biggest circular glasses that Shiro had ever seen. The kid beamed at Keith and Shiro and opened the door even wider, to reveal a smaller version of Pidge next to him.

              “Hello there, I’m Matt. You must be Shiro and Keith.” Matt said, waving at the two. Shiro smiled and waved but Keith stubbornly looked away, until Pidge was by his side.

              “Hi Keith. Lance and Hunk are already here. Wanna eat?” Pidge asked, careful not to touch Keith. Keith tapped his chin, momentarily in thought, before nodding. Pidge’s smile was blinding and soon enough they began to drag Keith away. Quickly, Keith looked over his shoulder and ran back to give Shiro a quick hug. Shiro was already on his knees before Keith ran his way and the two sat in each other’s embrace for a moment.

              “Bye my little Star. Have fun.” Shiro whispered softly as he pulled back. He smiled as to reassure the boy and Keith’s eyes lit up,

              “Bye daddy.”

              “I’ll see you tomorrow.” With that, Keith was off and sprinting to follow after Pidge,

x.V.x

              Keith tried to have fun. He really did.

              He played some board games with Lance, Hunk, Pidge and even Matt (Matt was pretty okay; he was quiet and nice to Keith). He played some racing game on the TV with Lance, but Lance kept pushing him off the strange rainbow road whenever Keith got the lead. Dinner was good and it was pizza, which Keith loved.

              But he was nervous.

              Everything was different and not what Keith was used to. Red wasn’t here to sit with her head in his lap at dinner, so he could give her any parts of his dinner that had a weird taste or texture to Keith. He didn’t have his stool so that he could reach the sink and brush his teeth. Keith couldn’t even brush his teeth at 7:00 on the dot today because there were too many people in the one bathroom.

              Instead he had to brush his teeth a whole 26 minutes later than usual.

              On top of that, Keith couldn’t sleep in his own bed. He was stuck in a soft sleeping bag that _he_ and his dad had picked out. Pidge offered any of them space in their spare bedroom, which had a bed but Keith refused. He wasn’t about to sleep in someone _else’s_ bed.

              Keith usually stayed up later with everyone during the sleepovers at his house, and didn’t mind the change in his sleep schedule. _Usually_ Keith had fun though, and his mind wasn’t wandering too much.

              Keith’s pajamas were soft and cozy but Pidge’s floor felt itchy and he couldn’t get comfortable even when they sat down to watch a movie. His skin kept pricking and against the rough texture of the carpet. There was also a lot more noise in Pidge’s house than his own too. Their washing machine was too loud and their vents were _always_ going off really loudly.

              Keith looked around at the others, trying to see if any of them were as bothered as he was but of course no one else was. No one ever was, besides Keith.

              Keith was already starting to scratch at his arms and feet but no one noticed. They were far too absorbed in the movie and Matt was quietly working on his homework in another room. Keith fought against himself, pushing down his discomfort and his anxiety in order to not ruin the night for everyone. _You can do this. It’s just one night. You’ll be fine._

              However, Keith wasn’t fine.

              Finally, _(finally)_ everyone had fallen asleep close to ten at night. Lance and Hunk were sprawled together between two sleeping bed. Pidge was in their bed, half under the covers and half over them. Keith was in his own sleeping bag, closest to Pidge’s bed, trying to ignore the itchy carpet and too loud vents. He was still scratching unconsciously at his arms, even hours later.

              Even the ticking of the clock was bothering Keith.

              It wasn’t _his_ clock.

              Eventually, after at least an hour, Keith knew he wasn’t going to be able to do this. He wanted to cry at the thought that he couldn’t even handle a simple sleepover at someone else’s house. _Daddy would be so disappointed in him._ Sometimes Keith wondered why his dad put up with him so much. Everyone always complimented on how _well_ of a parent his dad was for taking care of someone _like Keith._

_That must be so much work!_

_You’re so good with a kid like Keith, it’s incredible!_

_How do you always have the patience for him?_

              Keith could feel the beginning of a familiar prickle of tears building behind his eyes and he clamped his mouth shut quickly. _He couldn’t do this._ Keith instantly crawled out of his sleeping bag, extra careful as to not wake any of his friends up. Quietly, he left Pidge’s room and began to search through the entire house for the phone.

              Even the phone was in the wrong spot.

              After a while, Keith managed to locate the phone but by then his hands were shaking and tears were beginning to fall down his cheeks. His breathing had picked up and his heart was beating wildly in his chest. Keith looked down at the phone and began to speak out loud.

              “865-3091. 865-3091. 865-3091.” Keith repeated over and over and over again. His fingers were already working quickly to dial the phone number that Keith had memorized before anything. It was the one set of numbers that Keith knew by heart.

              Once it began to ring a fresh wave of tears fell. “865-3091. 865-3091.”

              “Hello?” Keith’s breath hitched when he heard the familiar sound of his dad’s voice through the speaker. For a moment, it felt like it had been _years_ since he last saw his dad and Keith couldn’t help but cry. “Keith? Keith is that you!?”

              Keith couldn’t even speak over his cries and Shiro’s voice was becoming frantic through the phone, making Keith’s guilt grow even more. “Keith? Sweetheart, what’s going on? Are you alright? Keith, I need you to calm down.”

              “Shiro?” Keith hadn’t even noticed when Lance had carefully taken the phone out of Keith’s trembling hands and spoken. Hunk and Pidge were both beside Keith, asking him what was wrong and Keith hadn’t even heard them wake up. _He woke them up._ However, Keith couldn’t speak anymore – _didn’t want_ to speak anymore.

              “Lance? Is everything okay? What’s wrong?” Shiro’s voice calmed down when Lance calmly answered the phone, but he could hear Keith still crying in the background.

              “Yeah. I think Keith is just homesick.” Lance admitted, looking at his friend in concern. He was honestly more than a little worried at seeing his friend so upset and not speaking to any of them. “He doesn’t want to speak to any of us. I don’t think we should do sleepovers anymore. Is he okay?”

              Lance heard Shiro sigh sadly over the phone. “Yeah. Keith just has a hard time adjusting to a new place he isn’t used to. He gets nervous in new places.” Shiro explained while Lance nodded.

              “Oh like Hunk? He gets real anx-i-os too.” Lance replied causing Shiro to chuckle.

              “Anxious. And yeah, sort of. Keith just doesn’t like new and unfamiliar places. Like that you don’t like turtles or Pidge hates roller coasters.”

              “Turtles bit me!” Lance argued and Shiro laughed again. “I’m gonna make sure Keith is okay, but I’ll leave the phone next to us, kay? You should probably come pick us up.” Lance said as he put the phone down on the ground beside everyone. Hunk and Pidge were both rubbing soothing circles into Keith’s hands, when a light turned on in the hallway.

              Mr. and Mrs. Holt were quick to the children’s side and assessing them. Mrs. Holt gasps at the marks on Keith’s arm and instantly began to soothe the child into letting her clean them. Mr. Holt picked up the phone in order to speak to Shiro, all the while the others kids had never left Keith’s side.

x.V.x

              “Sorry for ruining your sleepover.” Keith finally spoke up after several hours of silence, in his bed in _his_ home. After picking up Keith and thanking the Holts, Shiro was surprised to see Hunk, Lance _and_ Pidge all backed. He almost laughed when Lance scoffed and said they still had a sleepover to finish and they had to make sure Keith would be alright.

              However, unlike most nights, Keith had pulled Lance, Hunk _and_ Pidge onto his bed and under his covers.

              “It’s okay. My house is boring. I like yours, plus Shiro Dad is fun.” Pidge shrugged.

              “Totally. Plus, you have a pool!” Lance grinned excitedly while Keith rolled his eyes.

              “But we didn’t bring any swimming trunks.” Hunk admitted nervously.

              “Shiro Dad always has trunks for us!” Lance replied with a wave of his hands. “Is this okay?” Lance’s voice was quieter and softer when he had his arms wrapped around Keith’s shoulders. Pidge and Hunk were hesitant to follow, knowing that Keith really didn’t like to be touched or hugged. They were surprised when Keith merely nodded and snuggled deeper into the covers. He was touched by his friends’ concern and actions today and a little part of him in his heart, held onto their friendship tighter than before.

              “This is perfect.”

              The next morning Shiro went to wake them up and found four little kids all wrapped together in Keith’s bed with Keith right in the middle.


End file.
